When you think about your self-care, what immediately comes to mind?
Brushing your teeth?
Washing your face?
Doing your hair, makeup?
As adults we understand the importance of basic self-care.
Going to the doctor regularly, showering, getting enough sleep-- we know how important these daily habits are to not only our health, but our well-being too.
Self-care is of course these daily rituals and routines of good hygiene. But it is also much more than that.
It encompasses those little moments throughout the day when you take time out just for you. It's you creating intentional moments where you are honoring your worth and giving yourself profound care. It could be a hot shower in the morning and really noticing the warmth of the water as it hits your body. Maybe it’s a fun salsa class with a friend after a long day of work. It might be a hot cup of tea in the morning or reading your favorite book at night before bed. Maybe it's taking a stroll with your love and stopping to enjoy a cup of frozen-kefir (if you haven't tried it, do it! So good.) Self-care looks like any and all of these mini-moments of you loving on you.
Think about all the times you’ve decided to skip your self-care.
Maybe there just wasn’t enough time to squeeze that workout in or meditate for 5 minutes or take a full lunch break. What happens when there’s not enough time? You push through whatever commitments you have. You keep going and doing, going and doing. You create a habit and daily routine of NOT prioritizing you, NOT prioritizing your self-care. You start to feel drained, exhausted, and completely wiped. You become frustrated and feel sad too, that you are not living your life as you truly intend for yourself.
So what's a girl to do?
1. Recognize how you are spending your time. What can you start saying NO to? This is a big one. Set up some personal boundaries to create space for your self-care.
2. Start small, then gradually go big! What small step towards prioritizing your self-care can you immediately start doing? What is one thing you would like to do for yourself that doesn't require a lot of planning?
3. Do it! Yes, love, do that one self-care thing. Today. Write it in your schedule. Do not let anything else get in the way.
By creating daily rituals and routines around self-care, you are making a bold statement that it’s okay to take time out for you. Your modeling of this in your own life serves as a beautiful reminder to the people around you to do the same.
What bold statement do you want your self-care to communicate?